Tell me about… Les Arcs.

Thinking of going there over the summer for a a couple of weeks. Quite a mixed ability group, so would need easier stuff to ride as well as alpine singletrack.

Any experiences / advice much appreciated.

Cheers 😀

It’s rubbish 🙂

theres another les arcs thread doing the rounds – more info there but ph is right, it aint that good lol

I went a couple of years ago with trailaddiction, it was my first time in the alps.
I have since been to some diferent places. For me les arcs was right at the limit of what i could ride at the time. Red trail centre type riding and slowly down cwm carn downhill track.
In my opion black 8 is one of the easy trails in les arcs check it out

The resort is rocky and natural single track very few man made groomed trails. Last year i went to morzine got to say i got more from that than les arc. However i am considering returning to les arc.

So in short i think the trails are tough and not ideal for beginners.
hope that helps

huge range of stuff there – there will be easier mtb stuff too, just need to be able to find it – i imagine the matked VTT trails would be a bit easier. I’d recommend getting a guide or go on a guided holiday – that way the route finding and risk of getting into something too challenging is minimised. trail addiction and white room would be good for AM/DH/lift only options (on the whole), Bikevillage for trail riding with climbs (but also with lift/van assistance).

BV is almost a home from home for me, i love it there and sam/lyndsey are amazing hosts – been 7 years on the trot. trails are fantastic – from beautiful flowing singletrack to full on techy steep rocks/roots etc. just brilliant.

Been there last 2 years and already booked in for July this year. Good fun, lots of mixed ability riding and from what i am told, much quieter in terms of rider numbers.

We stay in Bourg itself, with Chillchalet (excellent), a couple of hundred yards away from the Funicular.

Definitely thinking of heading out there but not sure whether to buy into the whole ‘guided’ holiday thing or just go and stay in a chalet independently, and maybe hire a guide for one or two days.

Any suggestions here? Is it easy to find a ‘freelance’ guide?

In Morzine it was very easy to just follow the maps and the trails. But Les Arcs might be different in this respect.

if memory serves me right the trail map was pap. i think les arcs needs a guide to get the most out of it i noticed one of the guides from trailadiction has gone out on his own i seems a bit cheaper as well

http://www.themountainbikechalet.com/mountain-bike-chalet-pricing.html

not bad when you consider your meals are in.

you need a guide to get the most out of it imho, we booked a chalet independently and used a contact out there. This place looked nice last time i stayed and is bang on for the funicular http://www.chillchalet.com/mountainbiking/index.htm

Lots of the chalets are cheap because it is mainly a winter resort, but be very careful about taking one high up because you need to get home at night.

As a ski resort its shite. Les Arcs 1850 is a dump.

We’er looking at our 4th summer holiday in a row there.

The riding is excellent – most of the good stuff is not waymarked (or even on an IGN map) so a guide is advisable unless you like the challenge of hunting out the good stuff. There’s also a load of good riding in La Plagne.

We’ve always stayed with Trail Addiction – they’re big enough that they can run muliple groups at different speeds, so everybody gets to do what they enjoy – Elaine gets the cruisier stuff whilst I get to blow my wad on the supertech stuff, of which there is plenty.

By the time you’ve thrown food, acomodation and transfers in, it doesn’t work out too much more expensive than DIYing, and the extra level of luxury on top of multiple hard days riding is well worth the cost IMO.

White Room is across the other side of the hill – they get good reports to, or there’s Bike Village down in the valley. TA suit me and her very well though.

Definitely worth the trip – get range of trails for all abilities. Much fun indeed. Some fast and furious stuff, some tight and techy, all good though. If you can afford it, I’d go with a guide, someone who has been before, or trail addiction if you can afford it. My OH knew the trails, but a shoulder separation put pay to him guiding us around, so myself and a mate spent much of the week not straying too far from Bourg. Was still a great laugh, but if I went out again, I’d really want to spend at least a few days with a guide.

Here’s a few videos:

Cachette DH
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYuSCKCHbQY

Wonky Donkey trail
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prI4GHAFOaE

Red 10 (right at the top – proper fun swoop-swoop stuff – this was the only video the OH managed to film before getting injured!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inEL-alCn0Q

We’ll be returning to the area for the third White Room Backcountry week in a row this year. Our first trip to the Alps was to here and we loved it. It was challenging at the time but that didn’t change the second, even on trails we rode the first time. You just ride them faster and clear the sections you couldn’t the first time!

The variety of riding is vast and the some the descents you can do are massive. The La Varda trail above Les Arc 2000 is awesome and had it all from smooth singletrack at the top to very tech towards the bottom with some very exposed switchbacks in the middle. We always go out of season so don’t ride any man-made stuff so can’t comment on that.

MartinGT – Member – As a ski resort its shite. Les Arcs 1850 is a dump

You’re wrong in terms of the terrain it offers for skiing, its actually very good, on and off piste. And there is no Les Arcs 1850.

A couple of the girls going won’t want anything too techy/steep. Is there anything sort of in between VTT standard and trail centre standard?

It kind of depends how “mixed ability” you mean. If the girls you mention are able to ride singletrack, just nothing too tech or steep, then there is stuff to be found. e.g. Arc2000 is an idea for novices, because of the No10 (rolly, non-steep “dh” track) and **NEW** No13 built track, both of which are fairly easy. Some more info on the riding can be found here.

bugger

We need to go Thurs to Tuesday and the main operators only run transfers from Sat-to-Saturday. The extra cost of a mid-week transfer adds silly money so it’s a no goer.

Looks like 2011 then for Les Arcs….

Been to Les Arcs snowboarding, and I really liked it. Stayed in 1800, which, whilst a purpose built resort is far nicer than Val Thoren or some of the other high altitude resorts I’ve stayed in. By no means is it a dump unless you are there to party/ponce rather than ski.

Superb off piste riding, with easy access to La Plagne – the cable car is open in the summer.

I would recommend Morzine for mixed abilities, Les Arcs is high alpine, so your going to have lots of steeper more serious stuff. Morzine has a big outdoor pool and loads of nice places to walk/sun yourself if people aren’t feeling the riding. I’ve MTB’d in Tigne, which again is high up and steep to ski, and there was little there for beginners.

My other half has ridden and loved the green downhills and red XC trails in Les Gets/Morzine and she’s a casual rider.

Les Arcs is high alpine

It’s also “low” alpine 😉
i.e. trails right down to 800m altitude (and up to 2800m)

There’s immense trail and terrain variety, as described and demonstrated very well by Sam of Bikevillage, in this movie.

mmm

cant make my mind up between verbier,Les Arcs,or Chamonix for this year..
Done Morzine to death now,so between these 3.

Liking the La Varda video ive seen by TA,and the techy stuff is where it’s at for me,

Why limit yourself to one resort? Perfectly possible to ride at Cham, Verbier, Les Arcs, Deux Alps, etc in a couple of weeks, plus you see more of France and the mountains.

Personally, I enjoyed a couple of days at Les Arcs, but it really is one hell of a fugly resort. We camped in the valley at Marmottes site and close to Bourg St Maurice for food and beers. I thought that was worth it, although you then have to get the funicular up to the Arc’s uplifts in the mornings.

Agree that Black 8 is a cracking trail

it really is one hell of a fugly resort

I guess it depends which part of Les Arcs (which is a huge area) you stay in.

We stay in this part:

agentdagnamit – Member

Why limit yourself to one resort? Perfectly possible to ride at Cham, Verbier, Les Arcs, Deux Alps, etc in a couple of weeks, plus you see more of France and the mountains.

possible i suppose,depending on money situation.

Interesting (and useful thread) – booked with TrailAddiction in the summer. First time to Les Arcs only previous summer trips been to Morzine.

Looking forward to it already!!

noticed one of the guides from trailadiction has gone out on his own i seems a bit cheaper as well

http://www.themountainbikechalet.com/mountain-bike-chalet-pricing.html

not bad when you consider your meals are in.

There’s a reason why they’re cheap!! I would stick to the well established companies as already mentioned – Bike Village, White Room and TrailAddiction. I have been with all three and would HIGHLY recommend gettng a guide if you are over there. Having been to Les Gets and Morzine a few times it is definitly easier to get around there and find good trails without a guide, its almost impossible in Les Arcs without wasting a lot of your time.

noticed one of the guides from trailadiction has gone out on his own i seems a bit cheaper as well
http://www.themountainbikechalet.com/mountain-bike-chalet-pricing.html

not bad when you consider your meals are in.

There’s a reason why they’re cheap!! I would stick to the well established companies as already mentioned – Bike Village, White Room and TrailAddiction. I have been with all three and would HIGHLY recommend gettng a guide if you are over there. Having been to Les Gets and Morzine a few times it is definitly easier to get around there and find good trails without a guide, its almost impossible in Les Arcs without wasting a lot of your time.

My name is Ben but many people in the area know me as Mansell. I work at The Mountain Bike Chalet. Just thought I would respond to this about why were cheaper than a lot of the other companies in the area. Our company is made up of Tristram (who owns the chalet) and myself and my girlfriend Lucy who run with chalet with two girls who do the hosting. The reason that we can offer lower prices is because we do not have to rent the chalet off anybody and there are no middle men involved. There are no hidden fees either. This cost is passed directly on the customers which saves them money on their holiday. Hope this clears a few things up. Please feel free to ask any more questions if you want?

Mansell

I love Les Arcs. Ski there often and have biked there a few times but not for several years. Usually we stay in Vallandry or Peisey which is less purpose built but further from the slopes.

One thing I would add is that no matter what else you do you should go for a meal at the Restaurant L’Ancolie in Peisey Nancroix.

Blower – sorry, my reply was a bit STW-esque….

But camping is pretty inexpensive, guarantee my trip was cheaper than staying in Chalets in resorts, even including petrol. French sites can be a bit pricey I know, but Marmottes was only around 80e for 4 nights for 2 of us. Horses for courses I guess, but just saying it can be done (around £1200 total for 2 of us,3 weeks all in).

We found the Les Arcs resorts to be like Ghost Towns in early July, lots of cafes closed during the day. Admittedly there was a lot of snow still, the top stations hadnt opened yet. Maybe hiring a guide would have showed us more.

Personally, I preferred Deux Alps for the MTB waymarked piste runs and Alp D’Huez for all round riding and camping at Allemont (where the Mega course ends)

Paceman – wherever you go, have a great time, it’s all good in the Alps.

Its a beautiful, gorgeous place. TrailAddiction an BikeVillage FTW…Doing it for years and situated in a gorgeous valley far, far, far away from the Les Arcs uglyness.

Some of the best riding in the alps and good for all levels.

Ash makes me Swoon and Sam makes me weak at the knees. Nuff said no? 😉